


Stay

by BaaderMeinhof7



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baratheon siblings, F/M, Rickon and Arya's bond, teacher gendry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 05:27:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19244749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaaderMeinhof7/pseuds/BaaderMeinhof7
Summary: Rickon is a trouble child. Arya knows what's like to be a trouble child. Gendry is the trouble child's teacher.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on book canon, so if you're expecting anything that resembles Maisie Williams and Gendric Rivers, well, don't. Also English isn't my mother tongue. Sorry for any mistakes.

Rickon did it again.

Well, Arya didn't know exactly what her little brother had done, but it was his second detention in a month. She had already covered up for him several times and saved him from Robb's sermons, but his behavior was getting out of proportion.

Arya didn't even change her clothes, she just got in the car and headed to his school. A few years ago, Sansa wanted Rickon to study in a more restricted environment so that they could tame his furious ways. Arya knew better. None of that would work, it would only make him angrier and more distant from the family. This is what happens when you treat a child like a problem, like an outcast in his own home. It happened to her as well.

She crossed the campus, ignoring whistles and sidestepping the soccer ball that had nearly hit her leg. Passing through the airy corridors, Arya saw her brother. He was sitting on a chair outside the detention room, and she noticed that Rickon's long hair, his dark flame, was more disheveled than usual. There was also a red line on his face with the first remnants of a scar that stretched from forehead to cheek.

\-- Whataver he says, I didn't start it.

\-- We'll talk later. -- Arya answered, opening the door.

A tall man was gathering papers from the table, and as he turned, Arya found a pair of deep blue eyes, deeper than she imagined. They were sullen, but not as fleeting and aggressive as Rickon's. In fact, there was something boyish and familiar about those eyes that were being shadowed by strands of shaggy raven hair.

"Stop staring, stupid." Arya thought.

\-- You must be Rickon's sister. I'm Gendry Waters, the arts teacher. -- he said, holding out his hand.

\-- Arya Stark.

She couldn't help but notice a strange energy when her fingers touched his. 

\-- Please, sit down. Tea? Coffee?

\-- No, thank you.

\- Well...

\- Well?

\- Rickon... he is... a bright kid. I'm sure his problems aren't cognitive. In fact, he could do well in the exams if it not for his disinterest, which is normal for boys his age. What worries me is... he seems to have a certain predisposition towards violence.

Arya bit her lip. She was protective of her little brother, but there was no denying it, he was aggressive. It was nothing irretrievable, but such behavior could not continue. She knew. 

\-- What did he do?

\-- In those first few months he got into three fights. Rickon is strong, he didn't have many injuries. As for the other students I can't say the same. He was lucky to get detention with me, the other teachers wouldn't be so complacent. He could've even been expelled. I suggest that you or your parents talk to him before the worst happens.

She sighed.

\-- We... our parents are dead.

Gendry's face twitched, as if he was thinking of something to say. Something right.

\-- I'm sorry. -- he answered solemnly.

\- It's all right. I'll talk to Rickon today.

\-- If... if you want to talk about his performance, his grades or anything, here's my number. -- He handed her a piece of paper. Normally, Arya would throw it in the garbage. She rarely had good academic experiences. Remembering Mordane's cruel words was enough to sadden her. Fortunately she had Luwin and Syrio, even though Syrio was a fencing teacher. But something told her that Professor Waters didn't want to punish Rickon, he genuinely wanted his well-being. And if she was being honest, he was just too handsome to refuse.

 

***

 

Well, that had been totally unprofessional. In his defense, he never thought that the little troublemaker would have such sister..

That wasn't Gendry's usual behavior. It wasn't. 

The boy obviously had problems at home and needed discipline. He would be lying if he said he had never quarreled in his school years, but truth was that few dared to fight him.

The difference is that Gendry was raised among what the rich would consider the scum of the city. Rickon, on the other hand, seemed to have everything a 14-year-old could want. When he said that soon his sister would arrive to pick him up, Gendry was expecting a socialite in heels and expensive dresses, but when Arya Stark entered the classroom, he saw a young woman of 20 or 21 years dressed in a tank top, a sports coat and shorts, as if she was coming back from a morning exercise. As a draftsman, he noticed that nothing in her looks besides the wolfish countenance resembled her brother. He was a tall kid, his eyes were blue, she was avarage in height and her eyes were as grey as a storm. His hair was auburn and curly, hers was straight and brown. She had a long face with sharp features and her legs were... endless and strong and skinny.

When Arya said the two were orphans Gendry understood. He knew what's like to be responsible for a younger sibling, so he gave her his number. Yes, Gendry wanted to help Rickon. Just that. Nothing else.

Nothing else, he told himself.


	2. Chapter 2

\-- Explain. - Arya said, driving her car with the thoughts still dizzy due to Gendry.

\-- Look, the Frey guy started it. He called Shaggy a freak!

She took a deep breath. 

\-- Rickon, as much as I understand you, you can't just go around assaulting anyone who insults your dog. Aren't you a little old for that?

\-- It's not that simple. Our rivalry has always been there. The Freys are cowards and I scare them. It's just natural selection.

Arya had to smile. 

\-- I don't want you away from home. If this goes on, they may send you to some boarding school. You want this?

He folded his arms and looked away.

\-- Will it make any difference? Robb is always busy, Jon is hardly at home, Bran is in college, Osha is gone, and Sansa is... Arya, you're the only one I have. If you abandon me, I'll be alone either at home or in some institution for lost causes.

\-- I'm not leaving you and you're not alone. You have uncle Benjen, uncle Brynden, uncle Edmure, and even Lysa and Robert. Yes, I know you don't like our aunt. Neither do I. But whether we like it or not, she's part of the family. You don't remember, but mom used to say "Family, Duty, Honor".

\-- Is that how you and Sansa learned to tolerate each other, by honoring our parents' words?

\- Yes, Rickon. I did it for their sake. Even if mother called me a trial.

\-- See? This is what I don't understand about you! You must tolerate and welcome and love someone because of a damn blood connection! Why am I forced to respect those who can't respect me? Because of some stupid words our parents said years ago? They're dead, Arya. Winterfell succumbed to the flames. You're not Ned or Catelyn Stark and we can't bring the dead back to life.

She was out of words. Arya remembered her father saying that they needed each other when she complained about Sansa, but when did Arya ever need her? She had always been strong, she had always taken care of herself and always held her head up high. Sansa never even gave her any kind of emotional support.

\-- You're right. I'm not helping you just because you're my brother, I'm helping you because I genuinely like you, okay? We don't always stay with our families. Sometimes we... find new packs. You can find a new pack. If you want to.

\-- Did you find any?

\-- Yes. -- she said.

"No", she thought. 

Arya had many friends. She had Mycah and Denyo and Talea and Brea and the girls from Happy Port in Braavos. These and several others. But they hadn't been her pack any more than Sansa had. They had their own lives. Arya wondered if she would ever share her life with anyone other than her siblings.

\-- Then why you still live with us? 

\-- Because right now you need me the most. And I need you.

\-- You need me? So... I'm not a trial?

\-- No, Rickon, you're not. 

 

***

 

That week had been exhausting. Arya spent a lot of time with her little brother, trying to see, really see, what was bothering him. Rickon felt confused. Lonely. He had friends but he never once brought them to Riverrun. He'd rather roam around with Shaggy or play basketball alone. She tried to talk to Robb and uncle Brynden and even spent hours on Skype with Bran. They concluded that the ideal would be to hire him a professional. Someone good with younglings. They'd have to be careful in their approaches, though. Knowing Rickon, he'd certainly refuse. Arya didn't want her brother to feel like an outcast. One could argue that everybody needs a psychologist. It's the truth. Uncle Brynden suggested everyone to consult with a psychologist so Rickon won't feel out of place.

She contemplated the idea while walking with Nymeria in the park on a Sunday afternoon. There were children playing, young athletes cycling, salesmen and old ladies, but what caught her attention was the man running. It was him. Rickon's teacher. He noticed Arya too, and approached her.

\-- Hi -- she said. -- Gendry, isn't it? 

\-- Yeah. Nice to see you.

Arya held back a laugh. He surely felt awkward to start a conversation. To her surprise, he kept talking as he stared wild eyed at Nymeria. Arya was used to it.

\-- Is that a dog? 

\-- She's a wolf-dog. 

Nym smelled his hand and she seemed amazingly calm by his presence. Well, that was new.

\-- Rickon painted a wolf in one of my classes. His was black with green eyes. Not a bad painting at all.

Arya smiled at that. 

\-- That would be Shaggy. Rickon's dog. 

\-- So you take care of your brother and a dog that big?

\-- I have some help when it comes to Rickon. In fact, it was convenient that I found you. I was going to call you, I was, but...

Well, shit. Wasn't she blabbing, as if Arya was apologizing for not calling her date on the next day. Fortunately he didn't seem to notice. 

\-- But? 

\-- I got very busy this week. You see, my siblings want to hire him a psychologist... I wanted to know what you think about it.

Gendry chuckled.

\-- Parents often put their children in psychiatric clinics ignoring the fact that they need this much more than the kids. 

\-- I suppose. Anyway, we can set a day to talk about it, when you're not busy...

\-- I'm not busy. -- he interrupted. -- This park is really big. I mean, if you want to, we could...

\-- Sure.

They walked through the dense parts of the park, where the trees casted the darkest shadows. In spite of the pleasant spring weather, a huddle of golden leaves adorned the forest and crackled beneath their feet. Nymeria couldn't care less.

\-- You know, I also had to take care of my little sister.

\-- Oh?

That must have been why he sympathized with Rickon's case. Only that. Nothing else.

\-- My father was a man, let's say... kinda... wanton. I didn't get to know him, I only found out who he was when I was a teenager. And eventually, I discovered I had siblings. I moved in with my older sisters. And my baby sister, Barra. She was too young when her mother died. Nowadays we take turns to take care of her since Mya got married and Bella is studying in Lannisport.

\-- So you know how it feels like. -- Arya said. Their stories were very similar.

\-- I'm all ears. 

"You're all muscles", she thought.

He really was. The sweaty t-shirt Gendry wore was tight on his body, emphasizing his huge arms and chest.

"Stop," Arya tried to tell herself.

\-- My mother and father also died when he was too young to understand. But somehow, he knew. At the time, neither I nor my sister were able to help him. I was in Braavos, you see. My older brother, Robb, was in charge of taking care of the family's business and couldn't pay him much attention. Jon, my half-brother, had already joined the army. There was only Bran left, but Bran could not do much. A few months ago he had an accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. He was seven.

A sense of consternation crossed Gendry's grumpy gaze.

\-- And who took care him during this time?

\-- He had a nanny called Osha. She was like a mother to him until she fell ill when he was eight.

There was something curious about her little brother's teacher. She could see he was a good person, but he made a huge effort to be courteous. As if this wasn't part of his nature.

\-- So he felt abandoned and neglected, and couldn't deal with his sadness. He found solace in anger.

\-- Yeah, you understand him. 

Surprisingly so.

\-- I think... he needs to find out what he likes. The things he is good at. If he has an incentive, it might be a good start. That helped me a lot.

\-- You always...

\-- Liked to draw? Yes, but with the workshop I didn't have much time to develop that skill.

\-- I wish I had some artistic skill.

\-- Now what have we here! -- shouted a man. He wasn't young, but he was not old either. He was carrying a guitar on his back and he seemed only too enthusiastic. The other had a freckled, smiling face.

\-- Finally got yourself a girlfriend, Waters? -- he asked. 

When Arya looked at Gendry she noticed that a blush begin to spread across his cheeks and neck.

\-- It's not like that. She ain't... we...

\-- Then who's this lovely lass? 

\-- I'm Arya. -- she said. -- Gendry is my brother's teacher.

\-- I'm Tom, and this fine lad here is Anguy. 

They both seemed very nice, though Gendry was clearly annoyed.

\-- It's good to meet you. -- Arya turned back to Gendry. -- I... I have to find Robb, my brother.

\-- I understand. -- he said, looking a bit upset.

\-- I'ĺl call you? 

\-- Of course.


End file.
